Electromagnetic radiation from power lines, wi-fi, phone masts and broadcast transmitters poses a ‘credible’ threat to wildlife, a new report suggests, as environmentalists warned the 5G roll out could cause greater harm.

An analysis of 97 studies by the EU-funded review body EKLIPSE concluded that radiation is a potential risk to insect and bird orientation and plant health.

However the charity Buglife warned that despite good evidence of the harms there was little research ongoing to assess the impact, or apply pollution limits.

The charity said ‘serious impacts on the environment could not be ruled out’ and called for 5G transmitters to be placed away from street lights, which attract insects, or areas where they could harm wildlife.

Matt Shardlow, CEO of Buglife said: “We apply limits to all types of pollution to protect the habitability of our environment, but as yet, even in Europe, the safe limits of electromagnetic radiation have not been determined, let alone applied.

“There is a credible risk that 5G could impact significantly on wildlife, and that placing transmitters on LED street lamps, which attract nocturnal insects such as moths increases exposure and thereby risk.

“Therefore we call for all 5G pilots to include detailed studies of their influence and impacts on wildlife, and for the results of those studies to be made public.”

As of March, 237 scientists have signed an appeal to the United Nations asking them to take the risks posed by electromagnetic radiation more seriously.

The EKLIPSE report found that the magnetic orientation of birds, mammals and invertebrates such as insects and spiders could be disrupted by electromagnetic radiation (EMR). It also found established that plant metabolism is also altered by EMR.

The authors of the review conclude that there is “an urgent need to strengthen the scientific basis of the knowledge on EMR and their potential impacts on wildlife.

“ In particular, there is a need to base future research on sound, high-quality, replicable experiments so that credible, transparent and easily accessible evidence can inform society and policy-makers to make decisions and frame their policies.”

Tumors found in rodent’s who were exposed to whole body radio-frequency radiation included: malignant schwannoma of the heart, malignant gliomas of the brain, pituitary adenomas, and adrenal gland pheochromocytomas.

It didn’t take long… for example, after only 14 weeks, the researchers found that the right ventricles of the hearts of male rats was already starting to increase abnormally, developing cardiomyopathy.

After two years of high exposures to cell phone radiation, exposures were found to affected male rodents more than female rodents: increasing the incidence of malignant schwannoma in the hearts of male rates… while female rats did not have an increased risk of this cancerous tumor. Male rats also had abnormal changes in the prostate gland, liver, pancreas islet cells (the cells responsible for producing insulin) and granular tumors of the brain, and glial cell hyperplasia of the brain. These changes were not seen in female rats.

Both male and female rats had abnormal heart growth (in the right side of the heart, called right ventricular cardiomyopathy.)

There were changes in body weight (lowered birth weight in babies born with radiation in utero exposure) as well as genetic damage in both male and female rodents.

There was an interesting side effect of the whole body radiation in that the male rats that were exposed to radiation had a longer life span on average than the non-exposed male rats. Life span did not change for the female rats.

These changes reflect tumors that have already been reported in humans after prolonged cell phone use, most notably the cancerous gliomas of the brain.

Neurological Lyme Disease: What You Need to Know

by Dr. Bill RawlsPosted 4/20/18

Lyme disease can manifest in a seemingly endless number of ways. While the spectrum of symptoms is similar for most sufferers, the worst of the bunch varies from person to person. And for those who have a predominance of neurological symptoms, the disease can feel especially debilitating and difficult to overcome.

That’s in large part because neurological Lyme — also referred to as Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) — is often confused with other serious neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s Disease, which can be scary and overwhelming. And because most doctors lack an understanding of Lyme disease in general, and especially of Lyme associated with a predominance of neurological symptoms, LNB often goes unrecognized.

So how to know if the symptoms you’re experiencing do signify LNB, and where do you go from there to find relief? Keep reading for information that could provide the turning point in your recovery.

Understanding Symptoms of Neurological Lyme

Lyme neuroborreliosis is thought to occur in about 15% of Lyme disease cases — but a definite percentage is impossible to pin down. Everyone with Lyme disease experiences some neurological symptoms, but a specific composit of symptoms that constitute neurological Lyme is not well defined. Making matters worse, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), does not recognize LNB as a separate entity, and it doesn’t acknowledge the existence of a chronic form of Lyme disease.

The most common initial symptom is neurogenic (nerve) pain that starts in the back and radiates down the legs. With that comes weakness, numbness, and tingling in the lower extremities.

Another common presenting symptom of LNB is facial nerve palsy (Bell’s palsy), which is characterized by temporary paralysis on one side of the face. Some people also experience sound sensitivity and discomfort in the ear on the paralyzed side, and if you’re unable to close that eye, dry eye can occur. Most people recover fully from Bell’s palsy, with improvement in the first few weeks and continuing for three to six months, but a minority of people have symptoms for life.

The transition from acute to chronic neurological symptoms is not well defined, and it varies widely from person to person. Many people don’t remember a tick bite and experience minimal acute symptoms. The range of symptoms includes both motor and sensory nerve deficits. On the list: headache, memory loss, brain fog, cognitive impairment, learning disability, anxiety, depression, limb pain, muscle weakness, and paresthesias (sensory loss and odd sensations on the skin).

Symptoms of LNB are thought to occur from infiltration of white blood cells — immune cells like lymphocytes and plasmocytes — into the white matter of the brain and the spinal cord, otherwise known as the central nervous system (CNS). This is associated with an increase in inflammatory immune messengers, called cytokines, in cerebrospinal fluid.

Loss of sensory and motor nerve function is thought to be related to demyelination of nerve fibers. Found in the brain and peripheral nervous system, nerve fibers are coated with a fatty substance called myelin. Myelin acts much like the plastic coating on a copper wire: it wraps around nerve fibers, thus preventing the nerve fibers from touching each other and “shorting out” when an electrical current passes through. If demyelination is severe enough, it can result in abnormal nerve conduction tests, similar to multiple sclerosis.

Treatment for neurological Lyme is highly controversial. The CDC recommends antibiotic therapy using doxycycline, cefuroxime, or amoxicillin, limited to 10-21 days for formally diagnosed Lyme disease only. Remember, they don’t define LNB as separate from Lyme disease, and so specific treatment recommendations are not provided. Notably, the CDC website also cites numerous scientific articles showing that long-term antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease is not efficacious.

Among physicians who do recognize and treat LNB, there is no absolute consensus on therapy. Some physicians recommend 1-3 months of combined intravenous antibiotic therapy, and some continue to treat patients as long as symptoms are present. Confusing matters more, some studies that suggest oral antibiotic therapy is as efficacious as intravenous antibiotics, but long term follow up for any therapy is limited.

Central to the confusion is the fact that understanding of LNB and Lyme disease in general is clouded by reductionist science — studying one variable in a vacuum, while ignoring all other potential influencing variables. The variable in this case: the microbe Borrelia burgdorferi, the primary pathogen behind Lyme.

An Alternative View of Neurological Lyme

Anyone struggling with Lyme knows that the disease isn’t caused by borrelia alone. Indeed, having coinfections with microbes other than borrelia is more common than not. The most common coinfections include mycoplasma, bartonella, chlamydia, babesia, anaplasma, ehrlichia, and rickettsia. And all of these pathogens have the potential to cause neuroinflammatory symptoms that are characteristic of LNB.

Though all of these microbes can be transmitted by ticks, they can also be transmitted by other routes. For instance, bartonella is most commonly spread by scratches and bites from dogs and cats. Babesia can be transmitted by ticks and mosquitos. And mycoplasma and chlamydia are most commonly spread by respiratory or sexual route.

Often called stealth microbes, these microbes share similar characteristics:

They often don’t cause significant symptoms at initial infection.

They infect white blood cells and quietly spread to all tissues throughout the body, including brain and nerve tissues.

They are able to generate inflammation to break down tissues and gain access to nutrients.

They are masters at manipulating the immune system.

They grow very slowly.

They occur in low concentrations in the body, allowing them to blend in with other microbes.

The stealth microbes we know about may be just scratching the surface — science uncovers new ones on a regular basis. Ticks and other biting insects can spread an enormous variety of microbes beyond the classic coinfections. Microbes can also be spread by oral routes, inhalation, intimate contact with other people, breaks in skin, and blood transfusions or contact with contaminated blood.

Some of these microbes are more concerning than others, but if your immune system functions are strong, you’ll never know they’re there. In other words, the chances that you’ve encountered and picked up a variety of stealth-type microbes at some point in your life are much higher than you might think. And you’ve likely carried them without even knowing it, because they can remain dormant in tissues for years without causing harm.

This is true even with borrelia: People suffering from chronic Lyme disease typically don’t become chronically ill immediately after a tick bite. Onset of illness can happen months or even years later — it is typically surrounded by a perfect storm of stress factors that come together to disrupt immune system functions.

I’ve often related it to a pot boiling over on the stove. If immune system functions are healthy, microbes can be present in tissues, but suppressed and not causing symptoms — the equivalent of a pot of water on the stove being kept at a low simmer. But if immune system functions become disrupted, the pot of water starts to boil.

Immune disruption is most often caused by a combination of chronic stress factors such as poor diet, exposure to toxic substances like mold toxins, and emotional or physical stress. Sometimes, the tipping point is the infection caused by microbes that are acquired from a tick bite. But most often, the microbes are already present in the host, and they only become ill when other stress factors accumulate in their lives.

No matter what the initiating cause, however, when the pot reaches a full boil, it’s no longer an infection with one microbe or even a few microbes. Instead, it’s a disruption of the entire microbiome.

Once microbes start becoming active, inflammation increases and immune functions are further compromised, establishing what I call Chronic Immune Dysfunction (CID). In its weakened state, the immune system allows reactivation of viruses such as Epstein Barr virus (EBV), Cytomegalovirus (CMV), and other similar viruses — all of which most people harbor in their tissues. These viruses are commonly associated with neuroinflammation, and they tend to complicate the picture of LNB.

Chronic Immune Dysfunction also allows opportunistic pathogens to flourish in the gut and elsewhere in the body. The inflammation they generate compromises the gut barrier, allowing microbes along with foreign proteins from food to pass into the bloodstream. This heightens systemic inflammation and can compromise the blood brain barrier, allowing microbes to pass into the brain and nervous system.

Not surprisingly, new sophisticated methods of microbial detection are showing potential links between these neuroinflammatory illnesses and many of the microbes associated with chronic Lyme disease.

For instance, both mycoplasma and chlamydia have been closely linked to multiple sclerosis. Mycoplasma, borrelia, and chlamydia have been associated with demyelination. Parkinson’s and ALS have been linked to borrelia and other microbes commonly associated with Lyme disease. Borrelia and other stealth pathogens have been found in the brains of patients who died of Alzheimer’s disease.

The connections go well beyond Lyme disease microbes. Two recent studies are shedding new light on how closely disruptions in the microbiome are linked to neuroinflammation. One, published in Frontiers of Aging Neuroscience, evaluated the presence of microbes in the autopsied brains of deceased Alzheimer’s patients. The other, published in Scientific Reports, evaluated the presence of microbes in the autopsied brains of people who had died of multiple sclerosis.

Both studies used a new type of microbial testing called 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing, which enabled scientists to separate human cells from microbial ones, and positively identify microbes. They found that not only were microbes present in diseased brains in both studies, but the magnitude of their presence was astounding: The entire microbiome, with a full spectrum of microbes from the gut, mouth, and skin, were represented.

Equally interesting, the control brains from people who had died of other causes also had a full spectrum of microbes present. The main difference? Diseased brains had a much higher concentration of microbes, and a greater prevalence of microbes with higher potential to cause inflammation.

I believe these studies are landmark, because they illustrate the close ties between disruption of the microbiome and chronic neuroinflammatory illnesses. Considered in this light, they also highlight the potential connection between Lyme neuroborreliosis and other neuroinflammatory diseases. This would suggest that Chronic Immune Dysfunction is central to the equation, allowing opportunistic pathogens of many varieties (not just those from ticks) to flourish, cause system inflammation, and create a vicious cycle of unending misery.

Ultimately, the type of illness a person might end up with depends on three key things: how the immune-disrupting factors come together; the types of pathogens they accumulated through life; and genetics (some people are more genetically at risk than others for these types of illnesses). Therefore, targeting individual microbes with antibiotic therapy alone is unlikely to restore normal health.

So what does restore well-being? Therapy that comprehensively addresses chronic immune dysfunction and widespread disruption of the microbiome.

How to Recover from Neurological Lyme

When you’re suffering from debilitating symptoms of neurological Lyme, it’s tempting to seek out medications that promise fast relief. Unfortunately, the place for drug therapy in chronic neuroinflammatory illnesses is limited. In fact, because neuroinflammation is so complex, targeted synthetic drug therapy often disrupts the healing process.

Many medications suppress or disrupt immune system functions and inhibit deep sleep, which is absolutely essential for recovery. Anti-inflammatory drugs, including steroids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents like ibuprofen and naproxen, disrupt immune functions and inhibit healing.

These drugs have also been shown to inhibit clearance of beta amyloid, a proteinaceous substance associated with neuroinflammatory disorders that is the hallmark identifying factor of Alzheimer’s disease. Though short-term use of antibiotic therapy has shown limited benefit in some cases of dementia and MS, tolerance to therapy and relapse are inevitable with long term use of synthetic antibiotics.

This makes sense when you consider that LNB and other neuroinflammatory conditions are primarily associated with disruptions in the balance of the entire microbiome and chronic immune dysfunction — as opposed to infections with specific pathogens. So while antibiotics initially suppress microbes in general, with extended use, pathogens arise in the gut and skin, gut and brain barriers are further compromised, and immune functions are further depressed, thus enhancing illness.

Instead, to overcome Lyme neuroborreliosis, you must approach it like you would another neuroinflammatory condition. The key components of recovery from any type of neuroinflammatory condition include:

Reducing both systemic and nervous system inflammation

Promoting optimal blood flow and vascular function

Restorating normal sleep

Supporting the immune system and restoring homeostasis

Enhancing healing and restoration of normal gut and brain barriers

Restoring balance to the microbiome of the gut and the entire body

That might sound like a lot, but in fact, finding lasting relief from neurological Lyme calls for a more measured, lifestyle approach — one that’s supportive of your immune system so that you’re enabling your body to fight its own battles. Here, the five steps for putting this approach into motion.

1. Nourish your body

Vegetables provide essential nutrients and antioxidants for healing, and fiber for balancing the gut microbiome.

Healthy fats reduce brain inflammation. These include the monounsaturated fatty acids in natural sources like olive oil and avocados, and omega-3 fatty acids from fish.

Inflammatory foods, such as food products derived from corn and wheat, and corn-fed beef and pork, should be strictly avoided.

Optimal sources of protein include fish, eggs, and poultry. Eggs in particular are rich in choline and other essential brain nutrients. If you’re seeking vegan protein sources, quinoa, peas, and hemp are good alternatives.

Following a strict ketogenic diet has been shown to benefit recovery from neuroinflammatory conditions. That means keeping your carbohydrate intake low enough to cause brain cells and other tissues to switch from burning glucose to burning ketones. Admittedly, however, strict ketogenic diets are challenging to stick to consistently.

Herbs are ideal for reducing systemic and neuroinflammation. They work by balancing your immune response instead of suppressing it, and directly inhibit tissue inflammation in the brain and nervous system. Anti-inflammatory herbs also promote optimal blood flow to the brain and tissues by enhancing vascular system function. Some of the best choices include turmeric, boswellia, resveratrol from Japanese knotweed, and French maritime pine bark.

Cannabidiol (CBD), a cannabinoid found in the hemp variety of cannabis, has shown great promise for reducing neuroinflammation and calming nerve irritability, reducing pain, enhancing mood, and promoting normal sleep. Cannabinoids also balance immune functions.

CBD from hemp is legal in all fifty states and can be shipped across state lines. It does not contain THC, the psychoactive substance in marijuana. CBD oil is the optimal form for delivery and absorption. Average dose is 20-50mg of CBD with mixed cannabinoids; look for products with 1500 mg per fluid oz.

Finally, essential oils are excellent for reducing brain inflammation. They contain primarily fat soluble phytochemicals of herbs — ideal for penetrating brain and nerve tissue, which is 60% fat. Good essential oil choices for neuroinflammation include rosemary, oregano, frankincense, lavender, and lemon balm — the latter three also support normal sleep. Aromatherapy (olfactory delivery) is the most direct way to administer the phytochemicals of essential oils to the brain and nervous system.

2. Purify your system of toxins

A toxic environment impedes recovery from any illness. And unfortunately, chronic systemic inflammation and neurological inflammation can compromise detoxification and waste removal processes in the brain and body even further.

Toxic substances can enter the body by three routes — oral, respiration, and skin — so step one is minimizing the inflow. To reduce oral toxins, avoid processed food products, and eat a fresh, whole food diet weighted toward vegetables (the fiber in veggies enhances detoxification). Clean water is also key, and is as simple as installing a water filter.

Regularly changing your HVAC air filters and placing free-standing HEPA filters in rooms where you spend the majority of your time can go a long way toward improving indoor air quality. Breathing fresh air in natural places as often as possible can also promote healing.

As for your skin, adopting a practice of using only natural skin care products allows you to avoid a surprising number of toxic substances commonly found in commercial skin care products. The same goes for household cleaning supplies. The Environmental Working Group is a great resource for finding toxin-free consumer products.

Supplements that support detoxification in the body include activated B vitamins for enhanced methylation (a metabolic process that’s vital to cellular health), and glutathione, NAC, and alpha lipoic acid to support cellular functions and detoxification. Dandelion and milk thistle protect the liver and stimulate bile flow, which is essential for removing toxic substances from the body.

Optimal levels of vitamin D are also important for recovery, as are zinc and magnesium. Magnesium is best taken as magnesium glycinate, which is calming and easy on the digestive tract.

You might also consider hyperbaric oxygen therapy, a treatment that involves breathing 100% oxygen inside a body chamber with low and controlled atmospheric pressure. This therapy was found to be valuable in the Sears-Bailes protocol for overcoming traumatic brain injury, and has also been shown to be beneficial for Lyme disease recovery.

3. Invite more calm into your life

Since stress is a powerful immune system disruptor, finding more calm is key to restoring immune health and resolving symptoms of neurological Lyme. One of the best tools to fight stress is getting optimal sleep. Without it, your immune functions are disrupted, and healing is compromised.

Sleep is especially important for recovery from neuroinflammatory illnesses. Studies have shown that even one night of compromised sleep in healthy people is associated with accumulation of beta amyloid in the brain, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.

Your goal: At least 8 hours of good sleep a night, including 4 hours of deep sleep. Practicing good sleep hygiene can help you hit the mark; that includes keeping a regular bedtime, and limiting light, computer screens, and stimulation in the evening.

What happens during the day is also key to drifting off at night. Finding additional ways to de-stress, getting regular low-intensity exercise, and practicing meditation a couple of times during the day promotes good sleep onset and better quality sleep at night.

Early on, when neuroinflammation is pronounced and the nervous system is very agitated, sleep medications may be indicated. But use them intermittently, and stick to the lowest dose possible.

If you’re still battling stress and occasional sleeplessness, herbs can help. Some with calming, neuroprotective properties include ashwagandha, bacopa, gotu kola, kudzu, and milky oat seed. Nervine herbs also promote calm during the day and help improve sleep at night; these include passionflower, motherwort, lemon balm, and chamomile.

Melatonin, an important antioxidant in the brain that initiates sleep, is reduced in neuroinflammation. Supplemental melatonin at bedtime (1-3 mg) can help rebalance disrupted sleep pathways. Tart cherry juice is an excellent natural source of melatonin, as is Chinese skullcap, an herb providing both antimicrobial properties and immune balancing properties.

Acupuncture can be beneficial for reducing pain and restoring normal energy pathways in the body. It is also helpful for restoring normal sleep.

4. Get active

Healthy blood flow is essential for recovery. Increased blood flow flushes out toxic substances that have accumulated from inflammation, and stimulates healing systems in the body.

The best way to increase blood flow is by moving your body. Increased activity is associated with increased endorphins. Best known as the “feel good” substances that improve mood and wellbeing, endorphins also stimulate natural killer cells, the most important white blood cells for taking out cells infected with microbes.

That being said, movement must be balanced so as to not generate more inflammation. For this purpose, low intensity exercise such as walking, yoga, and tai chi is the best choice. If exercise is not practical, far infrared sauna is an ideal way to increase blood flow and promote removal of toxins from the body.

5. Balance the microbiome

Restoring normal immune function and balancing the microbiome of the body is the most important part of overcoming neuroinflammatory conditions. It includes suppressing opportunistic microbes while also allowing normal flora to flourish so that immune systems can rebound.

For this purpose, herbal therapy is a natural fit. Herbs with antimicrobial properties selectively suppress opportunistic and stealth microbes without disturbing normal flora. Herbs also help boost parts of the immune system that have been suppressed by the microbes. Many of the chemical components of herbs cross the blood-brain barrier and provide neuroprotective benefits. By restoring balance in the gut microbiome and the extended microbiome of the body, the gut-blood and blood-brain barriers are allowed to heal.

There are many herbs with antimicrobial properties that can provide benefit for neuroinflammation associated with microbiome disruption. Some of the more common ones used in Lyme disease include andrographis, cat’s claw, Japanese knotweed, cryptolepis, and neem. Monolaurin is a fatty extract from coconut that provides antimicrobial properties, and because it is fat soluble, it easily crosses the blood-brain barrier and penetrates into brain tissues.

Berberine and berberine-containing herbs, including coptis, goldenseal, and barberry, are ideal for balancing the gut microbiome and restoring a normal gut-blood barrier. Sarsaparilla is another antimicrobial herb that is particularly good for balancing the gut microbiome.

Herbs that boost the immune system’s ability to control stealth microbes and restore normal immune system functions, but at the same time reduce inflammation, are called immunomodulating herbs. Immunomodulating herbs that also provide neuroprotective benefits include cordyceps, reishi, rhodiola, and eleuthero. These herbs are also adaptogens, herbs that improve stamina and resistance to stress without having drug-like effects.

Because the toxicity of most commonly used herbs is so low, herbs can be taken for extended periods of time without harmful effects. In fact, that’s exactly what it takes to wear down stealth microbes and other opportunists, and allow normal flora to flourish.

The neurological system takes a long time to heal — it’s not a game that’s won in weeks or even months. Patience and persistence for the long haul is required to regain wellness. Many people have found, however, that persistence pays off: A comprehensive, natural approach to recovery is the most secure way to win.

Dr. Rawls is a physician who overcame Lyme disease through natural herbal therapy. You can learn more about Lyme disease and recovery in Dr. Rawls’ best-selling book, Unlocking Lyme.

You can also learn about Dr. Rawls’ personal journey in overcoming Lyme disease and fibromyalgia in his popular blog post, My Chronic Lyme Journey.

In this three part series by Dr. Doni (ND), the topic of the MRHFR mutation is discussed. Lyme/MSIDS patients sometimes find they have this mutation and it is important to know as it affects treatment options. One of the things affected is the detox pathways, leaving those affected with MRHFR with the inability to rid their body of debri caused by the infection(s). Often, when patients address this issue, their treatment outcome improves dramatically. Make sure to discuss this issue with your health care practitioner.

In part one, Dr. Doni Wilson covers the basics of MTHFR and folic acid. She gives an overview of genetic mutations, how they might affect you, and the actions you might take if you find out that you have an MTHFR mutation.

In this blog series, I will be talking all about genetic mutations, how you can easily test for them, how they can affect your health, and what you can do to address them. Testing for and addressing genetic mutations is one of the newest approaches in healthcare and one that many practitioners have not yet integrated into their practices. At the same time, this relatively new ability to determine gene mutations combined with research that shows us what we can do about them can truly be power at your fingertips when it comes to managing your health.

Last week, we discussed how knowing which genetic mutations you have makes it possible to address the underlying causes of your health issues. I emphasized that when I talk about genetic mutations, I am referring to mutations in DNA that are not life threatening in the immediate future. What we are looking at are mutations that decrease processes in the body that affect the way vitamins are activated, toxins are detoxified, and neurotransmitters are made or destroyed. As a result, they can make you more likely to feel tired and anxious, and to have allergies or autoimmunity, for example. But none of the health implications are set in stone, because we can influence the outcome with stress remedies, lifestyle, diet, and nutrient choices.

We all have some of these mutations. The question is which?

This week’s blog is all about the testing that is available and how the results can inform what we do to improve your health.

TESTING FOR GENETIC MUTATIONS

Testing for genetic mutations and then determining how they are affecting your health usually comes down to a three part process:

Phase 1: Getting your genetic data

Phase 2: Translating that to genes and SNPs

Phase 3: Tests to help you to understand how those SNPs are influencing your health

Phase 1: Getting Your Genetic Data

There are a bunch of labs that now offer varying amounts of genetic testing via saliva, blood, and cheek swab. I’m sharing a few of them here to give you a sense of the options.

Saliva tests that you can order yourself online (usually $199 or less):

These three companies have a genealogy focus rather than a health focus–they show your ancestry based on your DNA and provide interactive ways to connect with your relatives online. What they don’t do is give health information related to your genes, but they will allow you to download your genetic data, which can then be used to determine which mutations you have.

Quest, LabCorp, and other labs also offer blood tests for certain genetic mutations such as MTHFR

Phase 2: The Raw Data and How to Interpret It

Keep in mind that the FDA prohibits open access labs from offering health-related information based on your genetic panel. This means that the saliva tests you can order online will be for ancestry information only. However, they can provide you with what is called your “raw data,” a number/letter listing of your genes. Hidden within what appears to be a scramble of letters are your genetic mutations. When your genes are compared to the human genome, it is possible to find the differences. These differences are called SNPs or mutations. These differences in your DNA are what make you YOU and can affect processes and systems in your body when they’ve been activated by stress.

But don’t worry—you don’t have to do all the letter matching yourself. There are software programs that will upload your raw data and provide a neatly organized report showing your mutations, and whether they are homozygous or heterozygous. Homozygous means that there is a mutation on both strands of DNA and heterozygous means that the mutation is on just one strand.

Note: Please use these tools with caution! Be careful with your personal information and be prepared to see information about your genetic health. Consider having your practitioner help you with this step in the process.

Even using these programs, it can be time-consuming and overwhelming to get the data and then successfully process it, not to mention the difficulties of interpreting the data if you don’t know what you are looking for. If you would prefer to have help processing and interpreting your genetic data, you may want to consult with a practitioner who has been trained to do just that. YOU CAN FIND PRACTITIONERS IN YOUR AREA BY SEARCHING HERE.

I’m happy to help as well. Learn about scheduling an initial appointment with me, in-person or by phone/Skype) on the MAKE AN APPOINTMENT page. I have developed a consultation package for just that situation, so I can support you to process and interpret your raw data and then advise you on how to use the information to maximize your health. Find out about that package below.

What the Tests Tell Us

The saliva panels you order for yourself, and the raw data they provide, will give you a fairly comprehensive list of genes, but will not include all of them. However, once the data has been run through a program that creates a report you will have more information than you would if you did a condition-specific genetic panel (such as those ordered by a clinician’s office), but you may still find that some of the genes you want to know about are missing simply because they were not included in the original data. Ongoing research will continue to increase our knowledge over time.

For most people, however, you will get plenty of information about many of the genetic SNPs that have been researched enough for us to have an idea how to address them and how they may be related to your current health issues.

Phase 3: How SNPs Are Affecting Your Health

If you find that you do have SNPs that may be affecting your health, the next step is to do a urine organic acids panel and potentially also a methylation panel (this would be a blood test) if you have SNPs that affect methylation. These tests show us the metabolites in your body that indicate the function of the various processes and enzymes that are determined by your genes. Remember that having a mutation doesn’t necessarily mean it is affecting your processes and health. It is only by checking your urine and blood that we can find out the influence your genes are having on you! These two would have to be ordered by a practitioner.

If your SNPs indicate that you may be predisposed to allergies and food sensitivities, then it would be helpful to do an IGG AND IGA FOOD SENSITIVITY PANEL to see whether you have developed reactions to certain foods so you can adjust your diet accordingly. At the same time, if you have SNPs related to neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, then testing your neurotransmitters levels (a urine test) can be useful. Cortisol, our main stress hormone, can be both influenced by your SNPs and influence how your genes affect your health—so testing your cortisol levels (four timed saliva samples) will help you understand what you can do to improve your health.

Depending on your specific genetics, there may be other tests that you decide to do to help you get a clearer sense of whether SNPs are playing a role in your current health issues. That may include blood work for autoantibodies, stool tests that tell us about your digestive function, and blood and/or urine tests to show nutrient levels in your body.

To help you get started with testing for your genetic mutations, how they are influencing your health and what to do about it, I created a GENETIC PROFILE SOLUTIONS PACKAGE. It includes an comprehensive initial appointment with me (in-person or by phone/Skype) so that I can learn all your health concerns and review your records. Then it includes the testing mentioned in this article and follow up sessions so that we can review your results and create a plan to support your health. It is the most cost effective way to get this information and a plan built for you.

WHAT TO DO ONCE YOU HAVE YOUR RESULTS

I want to emphasize that while it is possible to explore your genetic mutations by yourself, and you may gain some useful information, I do encourage you to choose a practitioner to support you in the process. The reason I say this is that the processes in the body are highly responsive and dependent on each other. Say you find one genetic mutation—MTHFR for example—and begin to address it by taking methylfolate*. Well, if you also have SNPs on MTRR, COMT, CBS, and/or BHMT, then you may actually feel worse from taking 5MTHF. This is because you will have supported one step in the process, but not the other steps, and a ripple effect can result. A trained practitioner will be able to help you understand how your various SNPs are interrelated and how to address them in a way that hopefully avoids aggravations (and making you feel worse).

If you are curious, but not sure what you need, you could start by scheduling an initial consultation with me. That way we can review your case and I can help you get a sense of your next steps. You can schedule a consultation ONLINE HERE or by contacting my office HERE.

At the very least, testing for genetic mutations is a learning process. You’ll be learning about your body and what it needs, and how it responds to changes. But you’ll want to go about this slowly and carefully so as not to rock the boat too much.

*Please keep in mind that any and all supplements—nutrients, herbs, enzymes, or other—should be used with caution. My recommendation is that you seek the care of a naturopathic doctor (with a doctorate degree from a federally-accredited program) and that you have a primary care physician or practitioner whom you can contact to help you with individual dosing and protocols. If you ever experience negative symptoms after taking a product, stop taking it immediately and contact your doctor right away.

In the first two parts of THIS BLOG SERIES, we explored how genetic mutations (or SNPs) can affect our health and how we go about finding out which SNPs you have as the first step on the road to optimal health.

Understanding your genetic mutations (SNPs) will help you identify which processes and enzymes may need support in your body and your metabolism.

Once you have this information you’ll be able to design exactly the right support for your body including making the right diet choices, taking the right nutrients and optimizing the way in which you respond to stress, all based on your individual needs.

Today I’m going to discuss the enzymatic pathways in the methylation cycle that influence not only the way you feel from day to day but also your risk of disease in the long run. Then, next week, I will share my 8 STEPS TO A HEALTHY METHYLATION CYCLE. First, before diving into the enzymes, let’s talk about why the methylation cycle is important and how it affects your health.

Why is The Methylation Cycle Important?

The methylation cycle is important because it takes the nutrients from our food (and supplements) to make the energy our bodies need to work properly. I often refer to it as the “B vitamin Cycle” because this is where the B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, B12) get used in our bodies and why B vitamins are so important for our health.

Once through the methylation (B vitamin) cycle, our bodies use methyl-groups to make healthy cells and neurotransmitters (for mood), as well as for removing toxins (in the liver), fighting infections and protecting us from oxidative stress.

That’s why we often hear about how important B vitamins are to feeling well and for recovering from stress. When you are stressed, your methylation cycle has more work to do and needs more B vitamins to get that work done.

It is quite amazing when you think about it that the processes involved can have such a significant influence throughout your body. When methylation is working, you’re more likely to feel full of energy, in a good mood; you will feel generally well. When it is not working, you will feel tired, depressed, irritable, run-down, susceptible to infections, foggy-brained, and just plain “toxic.”

Understanding the Methylation Cycle

Understanding the methylation cycle starts with thinking of dominos lined up. Just as when the dominos start to fall—each domino toppling the next—when enzymes start processing nutrients, one enzyme affects the next. And just as with dominos, if one is out of line and doesn’t topple onto the next one (or it stops working), it causes a backup that inhibits the enzymes that follow and this, in turn, affects how we feel and how well we function.

More specifically:

Research shows that decreased function of the enzymes in the methylation cycle can affect your health and increase your risk of heart disease, cancer, chronic fatigue, mood disorders, diabetes, and aging in general. If you want to read more on this subject you can check out the research studies listed at the end of this article, and refer to the other articles in THIS BLOG SERIES.

Methylation also affects your:
– neurotransmitter levels, which can lead to ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION,
– immune function, including the likelihood that you’ll experience allergies this spring,
– liver detoxification, which has to do with how your body gets rid of toxins, and
– fertility, including risk of MISCARRIAGE

And methylation influences the production of GLUTATHIONE, a major antioxidant and protector of your cells.

Ultimately methylation affects the ability of your body to make new healthy cells.

The Key Enzymes in the Methylation Cycle:

Enzymes are given nicknames based on the first letter of each of the chemical words in their name. So they are often called by 3 to 5 capital letters, the last of which describes that enzyme’s function. For example, R stands for reductase, and T is for transferase (it transfers a molecule from one substance to another). I don’t want you to have to worry too much about those details. What is more important is to understand how the enzymes relate to one another and where they lead in the end.

Here are the main enzymes that are involved in the methylation cycle and what they do:

BHMT – The backup system (so to speak) in the liver and kidneys that can make methionine from choline and TMG.

CBS – Removes homocysteine from the methylation cycle (using B6) and converts it into cysteine and glutathione.

How Do These Enzymes Affect Each Other?

The methylation pathway starts with MTHFR. MTHFR has one job – to turn folic acid into folate. Folic acid is a man-made nutrient that we get from processed foods that are “fortified” with B vitamins, and from (lower quality) multivitamins and B complex supplements. On the other hand, we can skip the MTHFR enzyme step by eating foods that naturally contain folate, like raw spinach, and by taking vitamins that contain folate (or methyl-folate).

Research indicates that at least 45% of people have an MTHFR mutation and they consequently have a decreased ability to turn folic acid into folate (the process doesn’t completely stop; it merely decreases by 40 to 80%).

If you have an MTHFR mutation, your body is less able to use folic acid in the methylation cycle, which means you won’t get the benefit of the B vitamin cycle working optimally, and that can increase your risk for many health conditions, including:

What is the Treatment for MTHFR and Methylation?

The best treatment is for you to AVOID folic acid and instead ensure that you are getting an adequate amount of folate, as well as the other B vitamins involved in the methylation cycle.

It is extremely important to know that when you start taking (preferably before you start taking) methyl-folate, that you are under the care of a practitioner (like me) who is trained in how to optimize methylation to ensure you are taking the right dosage and that it is having the desired effect.

Over the years helping people with methylation, I have developed a step-wise process to ensure optimal outcomes. Here are the beginning essential steps:

Know your Homocysteine level – this is a blood test that can be done at a regular lab.

Know your methylation SNPs – order a 23ANDMEsaliva test kit, then when the results are in, give the data to your methylation practitioner who will run it through software that identifies your SNPs.

Check your urine sulfur level – your methylation practitioner will be able to guide you on how to do this.

Complete a trial of taking hydroxo-B12 for at least 5 days – your methylation practitioner will guide you.

Once you have completed these steps, and if your homocysteine level is higher then 7, then your methylation practitioner will guide you to start taking methyl-folate, along with other important B vitamins in the methylation cycle, starting with low dosages. Each person’s body responds differently as the methylation cycle optimizes, so it is important to go slowly so that we can find out how your body will respond and address any adjustments that need to be made.

This is how your methylation cycle gets the nutrients it needs to keep you healthy. And it is NOT just about methyl-folate. The next steps in methylation cycle need to be addressed as well. Methyl-folate connects with the next ‘dominos’ in the chain–MTR, MTRR, MAT, BHMT, and finally CBS.

MTRR creates methylcobalamin (a form of vitamin B12) and then MTR uses that methylcobalamin, together with methylfolate (the methylfolate we just spoke about), to turn a substance called homocysteine into another, called methionine. Then, in the next step, MAT uses methionine to make yet another crucial substance called SAM or S-Adenosyl Methionine.

BHMT is a “shortcut” through the middle of the methylation cycle that allows your body to use choline (such as from eggs, shrimp, poultry, salmon, and leafy greens) instead of folate and B12 to make methionine, which is (again) turned into SAM by MAT.

SAM, the end result of this particular domino line, creates a much needed methyl group which is then passed on to other pathways that protect your DNA and cells, and make your neurotransmitters and other important pathways, including energy-production pathways in your mitochondria. So many good things come from the methylation cycle!

In the end, SAM turns back into homocysteine so it is ready to go around the cycle again (unlike dominos, in our bodies, the process is continuous). That’s why measuring homocysteine in your blood can be so useful for knowing how well your methylation cycle is working.

The final enzyme in this process is called CBS; this acts as the methylation cycles built-in ‘drain’ by removing homocysteine and using it to process ammonia and make glutathione. Glutathione is our most important anti-oxidant, so SNPs on CBS can make for increased OXIDATIVE STRESS and higher ammonia levels, leading to fatigue and achiness. SNPs on CBC can also affect sulfur levels in your body, which is why it is important to check your urine sulfur before starting to address methylation.

Where Do We Run Into Trouble?

The methylation cycle is super sensitive to stress!

When you are emotionally or physically stressed (and your cortisol levels increase), the enzymes slow down and the amount of SAM produced decreases. At the same time, your body needs more SAM to help process the adrenaline produced by stress.

This means that right when you are most stressed, you are more likely to feel worse! It is when you are stressed that you have an increased need for the nutrients that help your enzymes work well.

So it is important to address your stress. By decreasing exposure to stresses and by helping your body to recover from stress, you’ll be helping your methylation cycle work better and therefore, preventing health issues. The way to help your body recover from stress is to find out HOW YOUR ADRENAL GLANDS ARE FUNCTIONING and to support them to recover using nutrients, herbs, and what I call “STRESS REMEDIES.” I find that it is essential to address adrenal distress when addressing methylation.

Where to Go From Here?

It can seem complex, but it can pay off to address methylation in terms of your short and long term health. I’ve seen it make a difference for my patients, and I want that for you too.

Working with a practitioner who understands methylation and how to address it appropriately can make all the difference. For some people methylation can be optimized in a matter of weeks or months. For others it can take years. And when everything falls into place, wow, how exciting and how much of a difference it can make in getting you back to feeling well.

If you would like to explore this further you may want to check out my GENETIC PROFILING SOLUTIONS PACKAGE HERE. With this package you’ll meet with me in-person or by phone/Skype to review your case and records. Then I’ll be able to help you with genetic testing and panels to help us know how your body is being affected by mutations so that we can then create a clear plan for you including diet recommendations and supplements.

Another option is to start by following the STRESS REMEDY PROGRAM – the 7-day or the 21-day – which include step by step instructions for changing your diet and implementing daily activities that reduce your stress level. They also come with my recommended PROTEIN SHAKE. All of this will start optimizing your methylation cycle. Then you’ll be in a better place to start getting into the details with SNPs and nutrients to optimize your health further.

To be sure you receive articles from me in the future, you can subscribe to my weekly WELLNESS WISDOM NEWSLETTER, and with it you’ll receive a free ebook called A Guide to Adrenal Recovery.

*Please keep in mind that any and all supplements—nutrients, herbs, enzymes, or other—should be used with caution. My recommendation is that you seek the care of a naturopathic doctor (with a doctorate degree from a federally-accredited program) and that you have a primary care physician or practitioner whom you can contact to help you with individual dosing and protocols. If you ever experience negative symptoms after taking a product, stop taking it immediately and contact your doctor right away.

Seasons of Lyme

By Jennifer Crystal

THE CHANGE IN SEASONS IS USUALLY AN EXCITING TIME FOR MOST, BUT THE JUMP FROM SEASON TO SEASON CAN BE ESPECIALLY TRYING FOR LYME PATIENTS

In the past couple weeks, many people have told me that the recent change of the clocks to Daylight Savings Time is really getting to them. They feel tired and sluggish. While the Equinox should mark a positive shift towards spring and sunlight, the transition can actually be difficult for healthy and sick people alike.

I used to hear the term “spring fever” and assume it meant I was supposed to feel restless and excited for the upcoming season, like the people I saw running and playing outside. But I just couldn’t summon their energy. For me, spring fever manifested itself as malaise and, sometimes, an actual fever. All I wanted to do was sleep. I was not alone.

I’ve learned that while some people are able to jubilantly jump into a new season, it’s more upsetting for others, especially Lyme patients. For those of us suffering sleep disturbances, changing the clocks just one hour can seriously impact our circadian rhythms. I always experience an uptick in my sleep-related symptoms when I shift to Daylight Savings or back to Standard Time. I have more difficulty with insomnia, I have more nightmares, and I have trouble falling asleep for—and then getting up from—my afternoon nap. It can take me a week or more to get used to the new schedule.

But even without a time shift, simply the jump from season to season can be especially trying for Lyme patients. In my case, it may be my system is so compromised and is working overtime to fight infection, that it overreacts to the slightest changes. If I need to adjust a medication, I have to do so incredibly slowly, tricking my body into thinking that no dosage change is happening at all. If I get too hot or too cold, my body has a much stronger reaction than the non-Lyme sufferer would; I can overheat without warning, needing cool compresses all over my body, or I can get suddenly hypothermic.

Since climate change has altered the Earth’s ability to raise or lower temperatures based on the season, we’ve experienced heat waves in February followed by freezes and blizzards in March. That’s enough to send anyone’s system into shock, but for Lyme patients, these erratic weather patterns can cause the hyper-reactions I describe above. Many Lyme patients find that symptoms such as joint pain, fevers, and headaches—already difficult to control—become almost impossible to predict during seasonal fluctuations.

And it’s not just during the shift from winter to spring. Lyme patients struggle with every seasonal shift. I personally get more babesia symptoms such as air hunger and headaches in summer, while other Lyme patients might have worse joint pain in fall or winter.

Even though our bodies might react strongly to seasonal fluctuations, one advantage we Lyme patients have is resilience. If you really think about it, we experience internal season changes every single day. We can feel spring-like—energetic, full of possibility—for a morning, and then slip into a winter-like hibernation in the afternoon, often without warning. Lyme symptoms can vary daily if not hourly, and we have to learn to adapt to that unpredictability. If we can handle these shifts multiple times a day, we certainly can handle them a few times a year.

There are small steps we can take to help ourselves through seasonal fluctuations. I find it helps to be especially fastidious about my sleep hygiene during these times, making sure I stick to the same schedule, even if the clock changes by an hour. I allow myself a little extra time for rest during these periods. I wear more layers than most people do when it’s very cold outside, and cancel outdoor activities when the temperature rises above 90 degrees. I carry a water bottle with me where ever I go. I also sometimes have to change my medication or supplement doses seasonally, knowing that certain symptoms flare or subside depending on the weather.

Of course, it isn’t always easy to handle these shifts; they can be extremely frustrating. One hour we can be happy and hopeful, the next exhausted and depressed, later that day anxious and angry. We can experience summer and winter and fall and spring several times in a day, in no particular order, and that can make a patient feel really off-kilter.

If you’re in a tough season of Lyme, remember what we say in New England: wait five minutes, and the weather will change. Longer, brighter days really are ahead.

Opinions expressed by contributors are their own.

Jennifer Crystal is a writer and educator in Boston. She is working on a memoir about her journey with chronic tick-borne illness. Contact her at jennifercrystalwriter@gmail.com

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**Comment**

Resilience for the Lyme/MSIDS patient…….not so much. Our bodies don’t bounce back like they used to.

A reminder: the climate has always changed. This is not a new fact. What is new for the Lyme/MSIDS patient is that these infections affect everything, including our adrenals and hormones that run our body’s thermostat, ability to sleep and feel rested, body temperature, sex drive (or lack thereof) and more. My husband had horrible hypoglycemic attacks and temperature dysregulation. He could be under 5 blankets with teeth chattering one minute, then sweating profusely which would initiate overall body itching, and then get hit with unwarranted anxiety over absolutely nothing, the next minute.

And so it goes…..everyone responding differently, yet crazily.

Many have trouble with the new moon due to parasite reproduction.

The thing is to be aware and try to accommodate these changes with preparedness and understanding for yourself. Keep reminding yourself that your body’s in a war and under siege by pathogens that cause unbelievable havoc.

Natural Sleep Aids18 plants and herbs for better sleep

by Beth Janes | Posted March 30th, 2018

We’ve all been there: Exhausted, but sleep just isn’t happening. Maybe your brain won’t shut down, or you can’t get comfortable. Or perhaps you did manage to drift off, but woke up feeling like you ran 8 miles, not slept 8 hours.

What gives? It’s likely a disruption in the normal tides of brain chemicals that are tuned into your circadian rhythms, says Dr. Bill Rawls, medical director of Vital Plan. And these rhythms are what either keep us awake or put us to sleep.

“During the day, levels of the stress hormone cortisol are elevated, which helps us get through day-to-day activities,” Dr. Rawls explains. In the evening, cortisol and its cohorts are supposed to ebb, making way for the flow of a new set of relaxing chemicals that induce and sustain sleep. However, stress and other factors, such as stuffy sinuses or aches and pains, can throw off the chemical tides—and your Zzzs.

While you may be tempted to pop a sleeping pill, they can come with dependency and other unwanted side effects. Instead, consider turning first to nature’s pharmacy. Research shows it’s stocked with plants that can promote a healthy sleep environment and may help you unwind, drift off, and wake up feeling energized and refreshed.

Here are three tips and a garden of options to try:

1. Bring nature into your bedroom

Not only do studies suggest that simply being around plants can help you feel calmer, certain varieties are especially effective at scrubbing the air of pollutants that cause sleep-disrupting symptoms, according to a paper in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Others, meanwhile, give off rest-promoting aromas.

• Air purifying houseplants

Take your pick of Areca, lady and bamboo palms, English Ivy, Boston fern, peace lily and Ficus. All are on the top-10 list of best houseplants for their ability to remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from indoor air, as assessed by a NASA researcher. Many building and household materials like paint, carpeting, and cleaning supplies release VOCs, which are known to irritate eyes and airways and trigger headaches and fatigue—in other words, symptoms that mess with sleep.

• Calming houseplants

Scents are known to affect the nervous system, and science shows that lavender, jasmine, and gardenia are especially calming. For example, researchers at Wesleyan University found that when people sniffed lavender oil before bed, they spent more time in deep sleep and felt more energized and refreshed in the morning. In another study from Wheeling Jesuit University, people were exposed to jasmine scents while sleeping, causing them to move around less, indicating better-quality sleep.

2. Sip your way to better sleep

There’s something immediately calming about cupping your hands around a warm mug of herbal tea and breathing in the steam that wafts up. But the right mix of steeped herbs in your cup could make the ritual even more effective.

Here are three teas to look for:

• Passion flower

“Passion flower helps bring on calm, and it also promotes muscle relaxation,” says Dr. Rawls. Those two benefits make this Amazonian plant especially effective for promoting sleep. In fact, people who drank passion flower tea for a week reported better sleep quality than when they drank a placebo tea, according to a study from Monash University in Australia.

• Chamomile and valerian

Perhaps the two most common herbal ingredients found in bedtime teas, their sleep-supporting benefits are well supported by research. For example, postnatal women who drank chamomile tea for two weeks reported less sleep interference from physical symptoms, according to a study in the Journal of Advanced Nursing.

Just be sure to listen to your body if you try these teas. While chamomile works well for many, it may keep others awake, Dr. Rawls says. Likewise for valerian: “About 25 percent of people who take it can feel agitated,” he says.

3. Use herbal supplements for temporary support

Certain herbs are believed to help you rest by affecting the brain’s gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a key neurotransmitter that induces sleep, Dr. Rawls says. The caveat: They work best if taken only intermittently — a few nights in a row to deal with occasional sleep trouble.

“If you use anything that hits the GABA system every night, whether it’s herbs or drugs, it can suppress natural GABA over time,” says Dr. Rawls. “That can cause a rebound effect that makes insomnia worse.”

Here are a few Dr. Rawls recommends for occasional sleep support:

• Passion flower

Tea isn’t the only way to take advantage of the calming properties held in the leaves of this pretty plant. For instance, a study in the Journal of Anesthesia found that patients about to undergo spinal anesthesia who took passion flower extract felt calmer than those who received a placebo. Another study found that a combination of passion flower, valerian, and hops worked significantly well for improving occasional sleeplessness.

• Bacopa

An herb native to India, bacopa has been used for thousands of years and is best known to help support memory, focus, and mental function. But it’s also calming and has a mild sedative effect, Dr. Rawls says. One study, for example, showed the herb could help mitigate some of the effects of stress.

• Motherwort

Although it originated in central Eurasia, this member of the mint family has long been used in herbal medicine, and it now grows in gardens in temperate areas of the world. “It’s a nice, calming herb that affects dopamine and has sleep-promoting qualities,” Dr. Rawls says. Russian researchers found that in subjects with high blood pressure and sleep problems, 80% of those who took motherwort saw significant or moderate improvement in low mood and related sleep trouble.

• Ashwagandha, magnolia, and phellodendron

“The key to a good night’s sleep isn’t what you do at bedtime, but instead it’s what you’re doing during the day,” Dr. Rawls says. Herbs like ashwagandha, an adaptogen that hails from India and parts of Africa, as well as magnolia and phellodendron help moderate daytime stress and may set the stage for healthy sleep.

Utilizing houseplants, teas, and supplements may be all you need for a good night’s rest. But for the best and lasting results, Dr. Rawls recommends combining plants with lifestyle changes that are known to improve sleep long-term.

“Regular exercise and other stress-reducing activities, as well as practicing healthy sleep hygiene like limiting screen time at night, are also essential elements for enjoying optimal sleep.”

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**Comment**

Lack of sleep is a huge problem with Lyme/MSIDS patients. We slump through the day, feeling exhausted and depleted, and then roam the halls like zombies all night long.

I tried many, many things over the years and frankly, the best thing that helped me was Lyme/MSIDS treatment. Get rid of the bugs and you can sleep again.

However, some other things that had limited effect were melatonin & valerian root tincture for me, and 5-HTP, & Gabapentin for my husband. I know many patients who have to resort to stronger medications to get relief.

Some other hacks I learned through the years:

Try and determine if you can’t get to sleep or stay asleep, or both, as that will help your doctor pin point your problem and help you find the right remedy.

Get away from all blue-screens (computers, phones, iPads, etc.) preferably hours before bedtime, as that type of light tricks the body into thinking it’s day.

Establish a night time routine.

Perhaps take a nightly bath in epsom salts for detoxing and relaxing.

Read a book that will relax you – or even comics.

If you have a racing mind, keep a notebook and pen by your bed to write wandering thoughts or “to-do” lists so you can free your mind up.

Sleep in a completely blackened out room as any light will affect melatonin production. If you can’t obtain that, wear a sleep mask.

If noises bother you, wear ear-plugs.

Exercise is important, but don’t do it too close to bedtime as it will rev you up. And, speaking of exercise, do what feels good. We have enough pain without adding more. I walked. Walking, as it didn’t give me pain, helped me tease out what was Lyme/MSIDS related pain as I knew it wasn’t due to walking. If you are just starting up; however, you will notice it in your calves, shins, hips, and perhaps feet until your body adjusts. Start by walking to the mailbox. Add distance as you are able. Wear good walking shoes.

Make sure you work with your doctor and be honest about inability to sleep as it is such an important aspect of healing.

Abstract

In Autoimmune disease a combination of infection, genetic and environmental factorscauses an autoimmune response to the thyroid gland (characterized by lymphocytic infiltrations), thyroid stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR) and different thyroid antigens. Graves’ and Hashimoto disease are autoimmune disorders with genetic predisposition. CD40 that stimulates the proliferation and differentiation of lymphocytes is an essential immunomodulatory component for follicular cells in the thyroid and the cell that present the antigen. CD40, PTPN22 and thyroid-specific genes are immunomodulating genes for the TSH receptor and thyroglobulin. CD40 used to be associated with Graves’s disease as positional candidate on the basis of Graves’ disease linkage study connecting with 20q11 genome chromosomal region.

The PTPN22 gene gives rise to a substantial risk of specific autoimmune phenotypes and frequent disease mechanisms. Infections have been implicated in the pathogenesis of AITD including Coxsackie virus, Yersinia enterocolitica, Borrelia burgdorferi, Helicobacter pylori and retroviruses (HTLV-1, HFV, HIV and SV40). Infectious hepatitis C agents are the strongest proof supporting an affiliation with AITD.

The essential environmental triggers of AITD are iodine, drugs, infection, smoking and perhaps stress. Autoimmune disease provide important facts on genetic mechanisms that influence the prognosis and treatment of the disease and by recent molecular techniques through gene expression study by quantitative Real Time-PCR and microarray, we can identify novel genes which are responsible for Graves’ and Hashimoto disease.

Lyme disease insurance claims show disease rise, rural-urban divide

James Gathany / CDC

Lyme disease levels in the United States have been rising since 2007, and patterns show differences in rural and urban settings, according to new findings released today from a nonprofit health insurance group, which based its analysis on more than 23 billion privately billed insurance claims.

The study from FAIR Health, which studies healthcare costs and health insurance information, found that insurance claims involving Lyme disease diagnosis rose 185% in rural areas from 2007 to 2016, with a smaller 40% increase in urban areas. The group’s findings appear on its Web site.

Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, is spread through the bite of blacklegged ticks. Symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash. When untreated, the disease can lead to joint, cardiac, and neurological complications.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says about 30,000 Lyme disease infections are reported from states each year, a number it says probably reflects only a fraction of the disease burden.

Timing, ages also vary between rural and urban Lyme claims

In its full report, researchers said it’s not clear how many Lyme disease diagnoses from urban areas are the result of exposure to ticks in city yards and parks or from visits to rural settings.

The peak for Lyme disease claims is June and July, which the group said isn’t surprising. However, it noted that claims during winter and early spring months are more common from urban areas, though the location of the medical visit may vary from the patient’s exposure location.

The age at which patients were diagnosed with Lyme disease varied between the rural-urban divide as well, with rural areas reporting higher numbers of claims for middle-aged and older people and urban areas reporting a larger share of younger people.

Regarding geographic distribution, the insurance claims analysis suggests that Lyme disease is spreading beyond the two traditionally hardest hit areas: the northeast and the upper Midwest. From the review of 2016 claims, North Carolina is now among the five states the highest percentage of claims, and FAIR Health said the disease has apparently found a foothold in the south.

Disease complication findings

To probe the relationship between Lyme disease and other health problems, researchers conducted a retrospective longitudinal study that looked at insurance claims between 2013 and 2017.

The most common diagnoses that came in the wake of a Lyme disease diagnosis were joint pain, fatigue, soft-tissue disorders, and hypothyroidism. When they compared the diagnoses by age to people not affected by Lyme disease, the same conditions still stood out as more common in those sickened by Lyme disease.

“Our data suggest that at least some autoimmune diagnoses correlate with Lyme disease,” they wrote, alluding to previous research studies that have suggested a possible autoimmune reaction link to disease complications.